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A frigid New Year's Eve tradition on Pikes Peak

The Associated Press

Posted:
12/30/2012 10:57:54 AM MST

Updated:
12/30/2012 12:10:53 PM MST

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Forget the New Year's Eve tradition of packing into a crowded bar and trying to get a glass of champagne before the stroke of midnight. How about a nice—albeit frigid—hike up 14,115-foot Pikes Peak?

The Gazette reports ( http://bit.ly/12Pymam) that since 1922, the AdAmAn Club has been climbing the peak near Colorado Springs to ring in the new year with a fireworks show. The group began this year's hike Sunday morning.

The tradition started when five local climbing buffs headed for the summit and set a fire at the top. Since then, a new climber has been added each year, giving the group its name—AdAmAn.

Fifty-five-year-old Wally Wininger, the group's newest member, says "it's a pretty unique group of folks, kind of a great tradition for the Pikes Peak region."

Not all kids who play baseball are uniformed with fancy script across their chests, traveling to $1,000 instructional camps and drilled how to properly hit the cut-off man. Some kids just play to play.